DIY & Crafts

24 DIY Canvas Ideas To Unleash The Artist In You

by craftmin | December 31, 2017

Have you always been fascinated with the arts? Maybe you have those days when you feel like you’re a pro and can do any piece of art in the flick of a finger. And then you see those “expectation vs reality” posts. Do you feel your works often fall into that category? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Being the frustrated artist that I am, I usually watch free tutorial videos on how to draw, to paint, and the likes. I even enrolled in a Craftsy class on self portraiture. But still, no Pinterest-worthy results to post. The artist in me almost wanted to give up. But thanks to these DIY canvas art ideas, I think I have finally unleashed the artist in me.

Don’t Give Up On Art Just Yet

Looking at other people’s art work inspires me. Some people find it therapeutic to look at beautiful, colorful art work to keep them calm, much more than when they are the ones making the art. Have you heard of Art Therapy? Art can improve your physical and mental state, even your emotional well being. Did you know that there are mental health professionals that use art and its creative process for therapeutic purposes? Interesting, right?

DIY Canvas Wall Art Ideas

Now that you know how art can improve both you and your walls, get up and prepare your materials. Get ready for these DIY canvas art ideas that I’m sure you’ll love. Here you can try them for yourself. Don’t forget to stock up on canvases for all these art ideas!

1. The Messy and Beautiful, Drip Paint

If you think you’re not good at drawing, try this DIY canvas art idea from Ana of Take the Side Street. I personally like how her project turned out. There’s a rugged feel to it, but its still cool to the eyes because of her choice of colors. All you need for this art projectis a canvas, some craft paints, spray bottle and a whole lot of optimism and creativity.

2. Old Painting Restyling

If you’re not in the mood for some artistic thinking, but really need something done fast – restyle an old painting. It’s like recycling an old painting or an old project of yours into something bette and, more up to date. Just add some details to get a painting upgrade. Make sure to have colors that match or go nicely with the walls you’re going to hang on it. Check out what Katarina did to her old college painting. Looks intimidating but really, it’s very simple. Her tip is to use some gesso to cover up the images you don’t need for the new painting. By the way, gesso is the white primer used to prepare canvases which you can find them in arts and crafts supply stores.

3. DIY Canvas and Fabric Wall Art

Do you have fabric you’re not using, but can’t seem to find the heart to dispose of? Turn those fabrics into fabulous wall decorations! Visit All People Quilt to find out how they turned artist’s canvases and fabrics into these beautiful wall arts.

4. Canvas Prints

What’s the good in technology if we can’t use it to make art, even on canvas. Canvas printers are available to create beautiful reproductions of original paintings on stretched canvas. To make personalized DIY canvas art using your photos, make them into a collage like in this idea from Canvas Printers’ Silhouette Collection. You can use/ mobile collage maker apps to help you with this project.

5. Textured DIY Canvas Art

What can you do with acrylic paint, modeling paste and a canvas? Learn how Jessica from Happy Together turned these materials into a very interesting textured wall art. You can use anything in your house to create that texture, just don’t forget to clean it up afterwards! I think the best part here is that the crazier the textures, the better the canvas once painted.

6. Hearts in Art

Now, this is an art with a LOT of hearts. With just a heart craft puncher and some paint chip samples, Jen made this lovely DIY canvas wall art, using foam adhesive to stick the hearts to the canvases. Do you see how the foam adhesives gave this art some dimension? Really neat and clever idea, if you ask me.

7. Fashionable Calendar Art

Do you have a calendar with beautiful pictures on it you don’t want to waste? Perhaps it has some paintings from known artists or photos of desserts you would love to eat. You won’t need to say goodbye to those photos if you make them into this art work from Etcetorize! Tamara loves shoes so much that she bought this Page-A-Day shoe calendar, but she didn’t have to say goodbye to those shoe photos when the new year came with this brilliant art idea.

8. Clever Chevron Painting

You don’t need to buy expensive stencils to create an elegant masterpiece. Just look at this gold chevron painting from Jess Lively. Jess used painter’s tape to create the chevron stencil, using a credit card to smooth the tape stencil well on the canvas. This prevents the paint from seeping or bleeding into the tape stencil. Use a relatively thick paint (instead of a runny one) to minimize the bleed as much as possible.

9. Creative Family Portrait

Create your family portrait the unconventional way with this DIY canvas art idea from Corner House. Laura in her blog replaced her family photos with her own family portrait art, using love birds to symbolize her and her husband, then 4 little birds for their kids. You can get all creative with your own family portrait. I am just in awe of how the canvas looks almost invisible on the wall. It looks like the green paint was painted straight into the wall, just leaving those branches and bird outlines.

10. Tic-Tac-Toe Canvas Art

This art idea from the Adorkable Duo is made from their own photo, which they divided and printed onto nine small canvases. This style of art is called Sectioned Canvas Wall Art. With this style, you can pretty much print any photo that you want onto the canvas, being as creative as you want. More ideas on how to do this style here.

11. Circles Canvas Art

The crazy, bright colors of this canvas art painting just calli to me! Stay At Home Artist said this was a fairly quick project, and a fun and easy art that even kids can do. Of course, you can change the colors to anything you’d prefer, but I think I will recreate this art with the same colors. I just have to find a way to add my personal touch.

12. Stripes, Anyone?

Another clever art idea with the use of a painter’s tape. Look at how lovely this piece of art came out. Michelle from 4 Men 1 Lady used the same color scheme in her house for this art project. Make sure to check out her blog to find out how she dealt with paint bleeds in this DIY canvas wall art.

13. Nifty Flower Canvas Art

Craft Warehouse used scrapbook paper and Mod Podge in this DIY canvas art project, but you can pretty much use any paper for this one, like old gift wrappers. Experiment with this idea to get a different look or vibe – just make sure that the designs or colors of the paper you use will look good together.

14. Herringbone Wall Art

Scrapbook paper is popular for crafters and DIYers alike because of the many designs and patterns to choose from. In this art idea from Burlap & Blue, they used scrapbook paper, Mod Podge, a foam brush, canvas and scissors. As I’ve said before, you are free to use any paper you have for this kind of project – construction paper, art paper or spare gift wrapping paper if you have it. Washi Tape would also give you the same effect as it has plenty of designs to choose from and is available in almost all arts and crafts supply stores.

15. 3D Wall Art

This colorful 3D wall art from A Little Hut is made from scrap paper. The idea came to mind when she was wondering how to make use of those scraps of paper she had leftover from her other finished projects. Cut scraps of paper into leaf shapes or any shape that you want, but not all at once. Variations on cut-out sizes will make this art work more appealing. Check out the blog for the step by step tutorial.

16. Honeycomb Wall DIY Canvas

Perfect for a baby’s nursery, a kid’s bedroom or playroom, this art idea from Positively Splendid usess contact paper to create those hexagon shapes for a honeycomb design. For the letters and the bee, use stickers available in arts and crafts supply stores.

17. Wall Filler Art

Do you have walls that need a paint job, but your budget just won’t allow it? Try this art idea from Beach Brights. The art gives the walls a lift, a focal point which will do the job until you have the budget for a proper paint job.

18. Simple And Quick Canvas Art

Who said you need a lot of money for a beautiful work of art? This project from Mindy of Finding Silver Linings cost her just $4.99. Cool, right? Just grab some old fabric and use a staple gun to secure it onto a canvas. Voila! An instant piece of art work.

19. Triangles and Potato Stamp

If you remember how we all used to make potato stamps when we were little kids, then this art idea by Lola Gavarry is sure to generate some nostalgia of your happy childhood. If you have children, ask them to do the stamping part of the project which is sure to make one memorable piece of art.

20. Circle Labels Wall Art

I used to wonder what they used those round sticker labels in stationery shops for. They always seemed too small to be useful, but then I saw this. For sure this is not the intended use of those stickers, but who cares. This art from Just Kali Rae sure put those circle sticker labels to good use.

21. Drips on Abstract

The drips on abstract style of this art by Kristen F David Designs makes a beautiful combinatio, and you too can create this art work with some swirls of the brush. Be amazed at how a simple piece of art can bring so much life into a room.

22. Handprint Art

From small keepsakes to decorating the walls, art just never goes out of style but here’s a twist on the old handprint art idea. If you want to try this DIY canvas art project, check out Fab Art DIY for more design inspirations.

23. Brush Dab Technique

Look at how classy this art looks! Would you believe it was made with just some quick dabs of a paint brush? The choice of colors make it even more elegant!

24. Pet Canvas Art

Show how much you love your pets with your art works and try this idea from Everyday Dishes. Turn your favourite pet photo into a wonderful piece of art, but make sure to choose a photo showing your pet’s clear outline for easier cutting. Why buy those expensive pet arts when you can make your own? This even makes a good gift idea to fellow pet lovers as well. That, or a great business idea if you come to think of it.

We hope these ideas will make you want to cling to the artist in you. And don’t forget to have fun while doing these DIY Canvas art ideas.